Newsletter  
 March 2015



Wasrag Wishes You: Happy World Water Day 2015!

World Water Day is marked on 22 March every year. It's a day to celebrate water. It's a day to make a difference for the members of the global population who suffer from water related issues. It's a day to prepare for how we manage water in the future.  In 1993, the United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March as the first World Water Day. 22 years later, the theme for World Water Day  2014 is 'Water and Sustainable Development'. . Read more... 



Phase II of USAID Collaboration Announced

Rotary International and USAID have agreed to Phase 2 of the H2O collaboration in Ghana with a budget of US$3 million,

A significant portion of the funding will come from Rotary International's World Fund and the USAID Missions, however, the Alliance is requesting Rotarian host and international sponsoring clubs to financially provide 10 percent of the project budget.

If you are interested please contact PAG Ako Odotei  Rotary club of Tema, Ghana, Chairman of the RI/USAID Phase 2 Host committee.



Happy Birthday to Raya!

More than 1,400 children die each day from diarrhea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation and hygiene practices.  Raya, one of the newest members of the Sesame family, along with her friend Elmo, is engaging children and families with positive health behaviors related to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). In collaboration with a range of partners, child-focused sanitation and health materials featuring Raya and Elmo are being designed to positively impact lives through engaging after-school programs. 
Meet Raya at the Wasrag Water Summit, theme: WASH in Schools. Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 4, 2015.  Register Now.
 


USAID Logo

USAID on Sustainability

Recently, Chris Holmes, USAID Global Water Coordinator wrote on sustainability: "The evidence of service failure along with an increased drive for aid effectiveness has resulted in increased research, analysis, and thinking around sustainability of WASH services over the last few years...This has reinforced what we know to be true: In rural settings in particular, donor and NGO interventions too often fail after the external partner leaves the scene." What is USAID doing about this? Read More....
 



Innovation Fund Tests Sanitation Approaches

"Innovation is critical because sanitation is a challenge we haven't gotten right by doing things the way we always have," said Jesse Shapiro, WASH Advisor and Sanitation Focal Point at USAID in a recent article. Successful applicants to the Innovation Fund set up with funding from USAID and the Gates Foundation, are further developing interesting technologies like the "Tiger Toilet". The toilet looks like a typical latrine and provides a normal pour-flush experience for users. But inside its compact tank, Tiger Worms reduce the system's excrement by more than 80 percent. Read More...



The Unfiltered Truth About Water

Check out this infographic that summarizes interesting facts about water and the challenges we face. For example, did you know that 
80% of illness in the developing world comes from water-borne diseases? And one pound of chicken require 468 gallons of water to produce?  See Infographic.



Spread the Word!

Sweden's development agency (Sida), The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of The Netherlands (MFA-NL) is now accepting applications for its 3rd Round of the  Securing Water for Food (SWFF) Grand Challenge for Development. Applicants can submit their ideas for game-changing innovations to increase water availability and promote efficient use for agriculture now through May 22nd at 5:00 pm EST. 

 

New Projects...
We love hearing about your projects and are delighted to relay these great opportunities for Rotarians to get involved in WASH projects! When posting your projects on the Wasrag website, please remember to include the name of your Rotary club and District number. Contact us at [email protected] if you need help with your posting.

Wasrag needs your membership. Membership revenue helps cover our administrative costs, website upgrades, training, development of support materials etc. To check whether your membership has expired, email Anna. To become a member,  simply click on the button.


 Interested in Upcoming Events?
Click here to see the Calendar. To submit items for the calendar, please email [email protected]


To submit stories and pictures for our newsletter, please email [email protected] 


*The Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (Wasrag) is pleased to consider partnerships with any corporate supporter. Due to the unique attributes of water sources and water provision, acceptance of corporate support does not imply an endorsement of any particular water technology. Rotarians, Rotary clubs, and Rotary partners must evaluate any technology to determine if it is the best solution for the conditions where the program will be implemented. Wasrag can provide guidance about where different technologies work best, but Rotarians and Rotary clubs must make the final decision about how to implement their programs.

NOT ON OUR MAILING LIST? Click here to keep up to date on water & sanitation information and opportunities.

The Water & Sanitation Rotarian Action Group is a group of Rotarians whose purpose is to support Rotary clubs to effectively plan, finance, implement, monitor and evaluate water, sanitation, and hygiene programs, where they are most needed in a collaborative, cost-effective, timely, and sustainable manner, true to the principles of Rotary International. Wasrag operates in accordance with Rotary International policy but is not an agency of, or controlled by, Rotary International.